Frequent Urination May Indicate a Storm

According to doctors, urinating four to eight times a day is normal. But, if the urge to urinate is more than usual, you basically lose control over your urinary bladder.

Nocturia is the condition where you feel the need to urinate multiple times at night. Going once in the night to urinate is normal, but as it increases, take it as a warning sign. Apart from disturbing your sleep and making you restless, it also poses the risk of a few health disorders.

Women are more prone to having this problem than men, as their urethra is shorter, so the bacteria take lesser time in infecting the bladder.

Frequent urination can be a symptom of the following diseases-

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI): UTI is the infection of the urinary bladder where you feel like urinating more than usual, and it occasionally hurts while doing that. Not all UTIs are serious, but if it becomes so, it can lead to upper urinary tract infection or permanent damage to the kidneys. UTI during pregnancy can prove perilous to both the mother and the baby.

What to do: Take a urine test. The standard treatment is taking antibiotics. One must complete the full dose of medication as prescribed by the doctor. Do not leave the treatment midway even if you’re feeling better.

Overactive bladder: If your bladder feels full faster than usual and you need to urinate more often, it could mean that you have an overactive bladder. Having an overactive bladder can disrupt your normal life, lead to anxiety and depression. It can also have a negative effect on your sex life.

What to do: A comprehensive understanding of the factors and avoiding them is the best treatment. Developing healthy habits, maintaining optimum body weight and eating the right diet are a few steps to treating an overactive bladder. OTC drugs should be your last option.

Diabetes: Increased amount of glucose in the body cannot be processed by the kidneys. In this case, the body tries to eliminate excessive sugar through urine. So, if you are urinating more than normal and in amplified quantity, you might be suffering from Type-1 or Type-2 diabetes.

What to do: Get a diagnosis and undertake proper treatment, which includes dietary changes, exercises and medication.

Interstitial cystitis (IC): It is the bladder syndrome, resulting in immense pain while urinating. In worst conditions of IC, you may have to take a trip to the bathroom 40 times a day. It results in pain in the genitals, while urinating and during sex.

What to do: Treating IC is not very easy. Though its effects reduce, but complete elimination of the disease is not likely. You can try physical therapies to relax the pain of the pelvic area, OTC medicines, nerve stimulation and bladder distention techniques for relaxation.

Apart from the risk of several diseases, frequent urination becomes a disruption in your daily life and leads you to embarrassment. Hence, early detection, diagnosis and treatment are very essential.